Introduction

The Legal Clinic Of Law School Of Renmin University is a successful practice which incorporates foreign advanced legal education with Chinese legal education. The clinic, whose primary focus is legal aid, is based on the plentiful teaching, research and practice resources provided by Law School of Renmin University, the Criminal Law Science Research Center of Renmin University, the Civil Law Science Research Center of Renmin University, the Legal Aid Center by Volunteers of Renmin University ( Beijing Adolescent Right Protection Center ) and the Beijing Dishi Law Firm. The clinic has attracted many excellent scholars and teachers. Meanwhile, it has great support from the Ford Foundation in the US.

The Legal Clinic of Law School of Renmin University was established in 1999.Instruction, which was offered 4 hours per week, and 72 hours in the whole semester, has been provided as the optional course system of Renmin University . This course accounts for 4 credit points. The number of students in each term is about 30. So far, six terms of students have graduated, making the total number of students 142.The present term is the seventh, with 38 students in the course. Besides study in the classroom, students and teachers of the clinic also spend much time in handling and conducting real legal aid cases. Up to now, the clinic has practiced in more than 120 cases, each receiving good evaluation from the client.

The Legal Clinic Of Law School of Renmin University, acting as a bridge between legal jurisprudence and legal practice, enables students to experience what they learn in the books in practice. They gain practical skills and understand the true meaning of law through personal experience in real cases. Most cases of the clinic are conducted by litigation. The students can directly go through the legal procedure and feel the atmosphere of a court. This helps them in terms of forming objective notions of the society and legal profession, discovering the gap between jurisprudence and practice, and making contributions to legal progress by providing deep insights of the system.

In deciding the content of the course, the Legal Clinic Of Law School Of Renmin University takes advantage of the traditional lecturing mode and has made some innovations. The course not only contains the legal practice of handling real cases but also teaches observation lessons aiming to improve students' abilities, It also employs modern lecture styles which combine case method, interactive communication, legal simulation teaching, lawyer practice teaching and special skill training together. Among them, class games and mock training programmes, which have mock meeting with the client, mock court defending and mock trial, have greatly motivated the students and improved their thinking ability and practical skills as a lawyer.

A variety of courses and extra-curriculars serves to train the students in practicing law, including contracting the client, further investigating the case, advocacy, negotiation, drafting ,etc.. They also help the students develop problem solving skills. At the same time, the Legal Clinic in the Law School of Renmin University of China has attached more attention to the conduct and education of ethics in society, of the morality of the profession in the course of transformation of Chinese society and judiciary reform. Since its foundation, Legal Clinic of Renmin University of China has actively organized and participated in international communal activities of clinical legal education. It has also communicated and cooperated broadly with Columbia University , Yale University and Ford Foundation. In 2001, it succeeded in organizing and holding the “Forum of Clinical Legal Education and the legal education reform of China In 21st Century ”. The Legal clinic of Renmin University of China has paved the path of the legal clinic education in China .

The teaching of Legal Clinic of Renmin University of China has been highly appreciated by students, the public and the legal educators. Our teachers and students will continue to be devoted to the development of the Chinese Clinical Legal Education.

Practical Experience

The Legal Clinic of Renmin University of China provides all kinds of real cases for students, who get opportunities to improve themselves through practicing law. All the processes which case, including accepting delegation of the clients, investigating, drafting and presenting in the arbitration, are completely accomplished by the group of students under instruction of teachers. They also represent and advocate inquiring in court. Through those activities, all of them learn and develop.

The group of students who undertake an appellant case concerning the right of rearing children, are able to get an opportunity to become a representive in the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing. After thorough preparation, they do a good job in the court and have a successful experience in the first trial of their lives.

Skills Instruction

How to get more information and trust from clients, how to strive for the largest benefits of the clients, how to timely present evidence in court and rebut evidence, how to conduct examinations-in-chief and cross-examination……all these necessary skills in practicing law are taught in a professional manner by knowledgeable and experienced teachers.   

In one class of negotiation skill training, the students negotiated separately on behalf of a landlord and lodger in the ground of a supposed leasehold. Considering the various negotiation methods of each group, the teacher analyzes and summarizes the results, so that the students would be able to master the negotiation skill through experiences for themselves.

Simulation training

Simulation in class is an effectual means of skill training. Conversion between different roles can make the students adequately experience the mental characteristic and thinking mode of different roles; the teacher can duly find problems, evaluate, and induce the students to think and discuss.

The students carefully design and prepare a simulation training by conducting cross-examination and direct examination of witnesses. The students introduce four witnesses in a brief case, and make use of various examination strategies and skill to affect the judge. The simulation training combines Chinese situation with procedural necessity.

Classroom game

Classroom games sufficiently exhibit intercommunication and participant characteristic of clinic legal education, and is also one of the most popular class methods with the students. The students can exercise their expressive ability, resolution, comprehension and teamwork.

The game “righteousness conquer unrighteousness” has spread from legal clinic to the entire school of law, and every student become master-hand of the game. In the game team, each step is very important, and everyone's participation is crucial to the success or failing of the whole team.

Legal aid

The cases which the legal clinic of Renmin University undertakes is concerned with legal aid. All of the clinic cases have the aid of special funds, which provides free legal aid for parties and clients who need legal aid but have no financial ability. Our legal clinic actively participates in commonweal activities such as publicizing law and legal consultation. Through legal aid, students have obtained knowledge and skill and have also have realized the social duty as legal staff.

In the case of labor dissension, our students offer legal aid to poor labor, and succeed in representing our party's rights and interests by negotiating with employers.

The though process of morality and liability  

The legal clinic of Renmin University not only gives the students vocational training, but more importantly it also guides the students to analyze and locate the social value and the duty of social roles .The clinic also educates the student to acquire the right attitude of the world and the right moral view in order to help the students become qualified in law while also having strong character for society.

Under the guidance provided by the teachers, the students discuss social problems and problems of occupational morality. In a discussion which was conducted in connection with legal thought, a number of classmates and teachers even shed tears.The discussions not only give the students the chance and perspective through which the students think but also present the students an ideal law world which does not lose the truth.

Teachers

Zhen Zhen, professor, director of Clinical Legal Education Committee, Deputy Procurator-General of Beijing Municipal People's Procurator ate, very experienced in judicatory work and teaching.

Wang Xinqing, professor, Doctoral tutor, vice- secretary of Communist Party Committee of Renmin University, lawyer at Beijing Dishi Law Firm, many years' experience in the teaching and judicatory work.

Gao Xiangyang, lecturer, incumbency Doctor , Director of China Youth Volunteer Action Study and Training Program ,Secretary of Communist Youth League of Renmin University, many years' experience in students work and the legal aid work.

Liu Gang, associate professor, lawyer of Beijing Dishi Law Firm, many years' experience in the lawyer work and teaching.

Pan Wenjun, incumbency Doctor, lawyer of Beijing Dishi Law Firm, many years' experience in lawyer work and leading students to social practice.  

Information

<Clinical Education and Legal Education Reform Forum of 21 Century>

Published in 2001. It sums up the clinical education's circumstances on development in China and presents the research results of clinical education.

Website: http://www.clinicedu.com/

for more information, please contract Law School, Renmin University of China,No.59 Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, Beijing,100872. Correspondent:Wang Xinqing, Pan Wenjun Tel:8610-62512511 email:renda@clinicedu.com